Easy Monkey Bread with Bourbon

Monkey bread baked in a bundt pan, plated on a white cake stand.

Sweet, perfectly sticky and slightly boozy monkey bread is a delightful holiday breakfast and brunch treat! Our drunken monkey bread recipe features an irresistible bourbon caramel syrup with pumpkin pie spice, and is easy to prep ahead with frozen bread dough.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 420kcal

Author: Sommer Collier

Equipment

1 bundt pan

Ingredients

3 pounds frozen bread dough or rolls not the partially baked varieties (Rhodes or Bridgford))
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin spice spice or apple pie spice blend
2 1/2 sticks melted butter 1 1/4 cups
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup bourbon amaretto, cognac, or brandy
Zest of 1 orange about 1 teaspoon
Pinch of salt

Instructions

Line a baking sheet lined with wax paper or plastic wrap (press and seal is also great for this) and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Place the frozen dough loaves on the sheet. Spray another large sheet of plastic wrap with nonstick cooking spray and cover the dough. Allow the dough to thaw and rise for 3-5 hours, according to package instructions. (If you have a proofing drawer or oven function, you can double the dough in 1 hour.)
Once the dough has doubled or tripled in size, butter (or spray with cooking spray) a large 12-15 cup capacity bundt pan. Mix the granulated sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl. Then use kitchen shears to snip the dough into 1- to 1 1/2-inch chunks. Dust the dough chunks with the sugar mixture and place in the bundt pan. *At this point, you can cover the top and refrigerate overnight.
Move the oven rack to the bottom position and take out the other racks to give the monkey bread room to rise. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, liquor, orange zest, and salt together in a large microwave safe bowl. Bring the mixture to a boil in the microwave, about 2 minutes. Then pour over the monkey bread dough and place in the oven.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the top is brown, crusty, and rising over the top of the pan. Cool for 5-10 minutes, then flip out onto a platter and serve warm.

Video

Notes

- Spices - If you can’t find pumpkin pie spice blend, mix 2 tsp ground cinnamon with ½ tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground allspice or clove.
- Storing Leftovers - Monkey bread is best enjoyed freshly baked, but leftovers will keep well for up to 4-5 days. Wrap the remaining loaf tightly in plastic wrap, or store it in an airtight container, and leave it at room temperature.
- Freezing - This sweet bread freezes very well! Wrap the loaf tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap, followed by a layer or two of aluminum foil. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, then thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheating - Get the bread nice and warm again by placing on a baking sheet and reheating at 300 degrees for 5-10 minutes.

Nutrition